Former British finance minister Rishi Sunak was voted the most in the first round of elections on Wednesday (13) to succeed Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
There are six candidates left in the race for British prime minister
Conservative lawmakers voted to narrow down the race between the candidates. See how the first round score went to the most votes:
- Rishi Sunak: 88 votes
- Penny Mordant: 67 votes
- Liz Truss: 50 votes
Current Finance Minister Nadim Zhavi and former Minister Jeremy Hunt were ousted for at least voting. Now, the above three are again vying for the votes of the Conservative Party representatives.
The 42-year-old former UK finance minister was the first Hindu to hold the post. He resigned on Tuesday (3) at almost the same time as his health counterpart Sajid Javid, triggering a crisis that led to Johnson’s resignation two days later.
“We have to restore confidence, rebuild the economy and unite the country,” he wrote.
When he was a minister, Sunak was criticized for not doing enough to help struggling Britons with the rising cost of living.
In launching his candidacy, he chose not to criticize Johnson, refusing to “degrade Boris, exaggerate his mistakes, and denigrate his efforts”.
How does the Prime Minister’s election work?
The leader of the Conservative Party, which has a majority in the British Parliament, also holds the position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
There are several rounds of voting among conservative deputies. In each of them, those with fewer votes are removed from the dispute. When only two candidates remain, all party members can participate in the selection and the votes are sent by post.
The dates are set by a group called the 1922 Committee. According to committee chairman Graham Brady, the deadline for choosing a replacement for Boris Johnson was as follows:
- 12 July: The nomination of the candidates was done on this day officially. He must have the support of at least 20 other deputies to participate in the dispute.
- 13 to 21 July: Early elections. Conservative Party MPs vote for their candidates. Those with the fewest votes are eliminated until only two contestants remain.
- 21 July: The British Parliament goes on holiday.
- July to September: Voting by post is on between the last two candidates. At this stage, all party members can vote (there are about 180,000 people).
- September 5: The winner of the contest is announced, who will become the new leader of the Conservative Party and the new British Prime Minister.
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